Memories and Meetings
by XTAIGAX
Summary: Sometimes the best things in life come in small slips of time. Some can be just small memories, even small meetings that can't retain memories. But when those memories and meetings help, even they can slip away. ONESHOT


Memories and Meetings

It was summer in Kisaragi, and Rainbow Hill was full with families, loudly playing with each other. The vibrantly-colored blankets blended with the equally bright flowers, and the sun was high in the sky, shadowing only the curtain beneath the gazebo where a statue was placed.

A blonde girl with dark eyes was running around said place, stopping only to glance at the statue, feeling an ominous aura from it. Her friends, one with long blue hair, and the other with long red hair, stopped a few feet behind her, staring. The blue-haired one grew impatient after a while, and yelled toward the blonde, "Hey, Rui! Hurry up! We have to get Ryo and Akira too!" The red-headed one attempted to shush her, waving her hands slightly, just enough to keep others from staring.

A green-haired male with a blue-haired male arrived, the kimono-wearing blue-haired boy holding a book, about the same size as him. "We had to wait, because Ryo couldn't find his bug book."

"They're called insects, Akira!" Ryo replied, jabbing a finger at the cover. He used the same finger to push up his glasses, which were perched on his nose. The green-haired one, Akira, mumbled a "whatever" and looked toward the blue one of the female group. "Hi, Mika." He shouted, waving. Mika looked over at him, her attention being dragged from the still-staring Rui. "Hi, Akira!"

"Hey, Yayoi." Ryo mumbled, looking at the fidgety red-head. "Hello, Ryo." Yayoi moved closer to Ryo and they both took a spot by the ledge. "So, how's your sister doing?" the boy asked, opening his book. "She's just fine." she replied quietly. Ryo looked up to see Rui putting Akira in a headlock, and Mika tickling his sides. He was crying from laughter.

"Ahaha! Stop! STOP!" Akira cried, wiggling. Rui started scuffing his head with her knuckles, laughing, "Say uncle!"

"Uncle! UNCLE! If you don't stop, I'm gonna-!"

And it stopped. Akira looked up at Rui through half-closed watery eyes and saw her staring at the gazebo again. He wiped his eyes on his sleeves until they were raw and looked up at the place where the blonde was looking so intently. He saw a small boy, now that he looked closer. It was hard to see him, with silver hair, and dark eyes. His outfit was comprised of soft tones, invisible to the statue behind him. He was sitting on top of said statue, and staring into the sea. His hair was flowing gently around him, only disturbed by the small sea breeze. It glinted white when it hit the sun, and he didn't seem to notice he was humming, unless he didn't care.

Akira faintly realized the world seemed to stop, silence reigning over all, and that their small group of five had started to stare.

The tune stopped, the world seeming to regain order again, as the boy turned his head to the opposite side, probably talking to someone. He shuddered then turned his head slowly to their direction. It was strange to them how he had an eye patch on his left eye.

Akira wiggled out of the two girls' grips and headed toward the boy, noticing with every step that the statue was higher than he originally thought. He smiled, and held out his hand, barely reaching the same plane as the boy's foot. His small body, about the same size as Kamishiro's sister, he realized, shook with terror. His one visible eye widened, white showing around the dark of his iris, and he huddled into a ball and he looked at a tree at the base of the hill. Akira turned to look too, his arm lowering a bit, and saw a teenage boy, black hair swept back, and narrowed dark eyes – Chinese descent? – staring at them. He nodded his head.

The silver-haired boy put on a white beach robe that was lying next to him and jumped down, landing a bit to Akira's right.

Later they would comment about how, when his white robe fluttered behind him, he looked like an angel.

Akira looked at the boy next to him, smiling a toothy grin, albeit his missing left canine, and asked, "What's your name?"

The boy looked hesitant, but replied with a quiet, "Kei."

Akira jabbed a finger at himself, "I'm Akira! We're going to be friends from now on!"

Mika pushed him over, gaining the boy's attention, "I'm Mika! We're going to be best friends!"

Rui crossed her arms, huffing. "I'm Rui Yamase. And that bookworm over there is Ryo Unami, and the girl next to him is Yayoi Kamishiro." The two waved their hands in sync only to go back to scanning the pages again. "I saw you earlier, what were you doing?" Rui asked, turning her head to the side and staring at him again. He ducked his head, lowering his eyes, seemingly uncomfortable with staring at anyone in the eyes. Mika went to side and elbowed him. "What's with the eye patch? Are you pretending to be a pirate?"

"I think it's too early to be Halloween, unless Dad didn't tell me again." Akira huffed, furrowing his eyebrows. "He said I didn't need any more sugar."

"Why don't you take it off?" Mika asked, smiling widely, as Kei would remember as that scary Disney kitty that could stand on his head. He shook his head furiously, and covered his eyes with his hands, ducking his head again. Yayoi got up, looking over at the boy with concern. "I think you guys should be nicer."

Ryo closed his book, memorizing the page number. "He probably got that in an accident, and if it was trauma, then he could get really scared." Yayoi nodded, hesitantly wrapping her arms around him. "It's okay," she cooed, petting his hair. "Some of them are just… not very good at this." She felt the other tense, and loosened her grip in case he wanted out. He didn't move.

Akira looked at the base of the hill again, not being able to see the splash of red and black of the Chinese boy. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, his green eyes spotted the boy, towering over him.

"It's okay," he said, bending down and, Akira noticed with a blow to his pride, that he was still taller. Kei walked around everyone and walked in front of the boy, holding up his hands. "Hold me, Liu Yee." he muttered. The Chinese boy, Liu Yee, picked him up, holding Kei on his waist. He bowed to the kids and walked off.

"That was strange." Mika muttered. Yayoi still stared after them. She noticed Kei turn toward her at the last moment, and nod. Liu Yee whispered something to him and they looked almost as if they vanished into the air. The redhead rubbed her eyes, faintly wondering if reading with Ryo was making her go blind. She looked again at the base and saw nothing.

That was how their days after school went. Every day they would meet up, Ryo bringing a new book on insects, Rui and Mika rough housing with Akira, changing their everyday activities from Tag to Hide and Seek to Cloud Watching, and Yayoi eventually bringing a sketch book and drawing. Sometimes they would see the boy, Kei, on top of the statue, or lounging in the longer flower patches, always easily distinguishable by his bright white beach robe, gray hair and dark black eyes, if they were open that day.

Once, when Akira was running through Rainbow Hill to see the ocean, he saw Kei. He had originally come to see the crashing waves, because he always did during the rare storm, but even those silenced when the one black eye met green eyes. That one moment Akira thought he saw an angel. Kei's hair was shining silver-gray and plastered to his face, the rain splattering off of him gave him a white glow, and at one moment, the eye patch began slipping off. His black eye widened and he scrambled for it.

The fabric, wet and muddy, slid toward Akira and he bent down to pick it up. Akira looked at Kei, still staring downward, not even attempting to grab the patch. The taller boy grew frustrated and lifted up the other's face with a finger. He swept back the silver hair, pausing for a moment to stare at the golden eye that had been hidden behind black fabric. Kei was shivering, even when Akira had turned him around to tie the bow.

"There," he grinned, "All fixed. Are you a boy or a girl?"

He almost regretted it, if his curiosity hadn't been peaked since he first saw the other. "You just look like a girl and kind of act like a girl, and sound like one too, because you squeak like a mouse, but you seem like you're really strong. Like, you could almost beat my Dad up kind of strong!" He poked at Kei's left arm, and, as appointed to Akira's earlier statement, squeaked. Akira saw a glow, dull compared to the other's eye, and poked at it again. "I'm a boy." the silver-haired boy frowned.

Akira frowned and pulled up the shivering boy's sleeves, much to said boy's discontent. There was a pulsing tattoo looking thing on it, and he was drawn to it. Akira looked at Kei's face and saw pure, unhidden fear. He blinked a few times, both in confusion and to get the water out of his eyes, and grinned, lopsided and toothy, but his. "Maybe I should tell your brother you have a tattoo!" he laughed.

Kei frowned and said quietly, "That boy's not my brother."

"Then who was he?" Akira asked, letting go of Kei's sleeve.

"He's someone I work with."

"Wow! You work already? That's so cool! My Dad wants me to take over his dumb bakery."

The smaller boy sighed, then smiled. "You can make people smile. It'd be so much fun. I can't make people smile where I work, but I do help them. Kind of."

Akira rubbed his head. "Yeah, but it's so girly."

"It's not girly if it makes them smile. It's just being nice."

Akira huffed now, crossing his arms. "But I'm not a nice person. I'm mean, and I get really mad sometimes."

"Everyone gets mad." Kei reasoned, leading them under the gazebo. "It's just what makes us, us. So you should try making cakes and stuff with your dad. You never know, it could make you happy just by making everyone else happy. Besides, you can make good cake at your house for you!" He giggled, and Akira laughed with him.

"I guess I could give it a try." Akira leaned against the rock of the statue, shoving his small hands into his sweatshirt. "But you have to come by sometime and try them. Probably when I'm older though, cause if you try them now, they aren't gonna be any good."

"Okay." Kei responded. He smiled and listened to the rhythmic splattering of the rain. He could feel a yellow Shinen of happiness rise in Akira, and felt happy himself.

"We should have a password so we know each other when we're older." Akira suggested.

"Okay." Kei agreed. Akira puckered his lips in thought. "What should it be?" he asked, finally giving up. "How about… Atsuki Saijo?" Kei offered. "It's a name of someone I know."

Akira blinked again in confusion before saying, "Sure, why not?"

"And Akira?" the boy asked tentatively. "I might have to leave again soon."

Akira visibly hunched over. "Aw… But you were actually starting to talk. Fine, but you better come back."

"Okay." Kei smiled then walked to a waiting Liu Yee at the base of the Hill, seasons passing before his return.

"Akira! You're late!" Kenichi shouted up to his son. Akira jumped, his short messy hair tousled, and green eyes wide. "Hmm… Whatever. He got up and headed straight to the bathroom, grabbing a brush from his bedside drawer. Brushing his teeth, he thought back to his memory. _Hmm… Maybe I'll see Kei today? Kind of hard to miss that guy. Just look for a Chinese guy and a smaller one will gray hair. _He laughed to himself, stopping when he almost choked on the frothy toothpaste.

Moments later he was out, his school uniform on, and ran downstairs, grabbing his backpack on the way out.

"Hey, Akira!" Said person turned, seeing Rui heading his way. "You're late too, huh?" She sprinted beside him, listening for the bell. "Safe!" she hollered, startling Aoi at the gate. "You guys were almost late again." Mika laughed. Yayoi was coming from the art building, and turned toward them. "Did you guys know…?" Mika said in a hushed tone. "There's going to be a transfer student!"

"We haven't had one in a while." Rui nodded. Yayoi nodded and continued with her sketch. Just then, a boy walked in, startling everyone. Akira looked him over and sighed. That wasn't Kei, he wasn't wearing an eye patch or had a gold eye. Rui must've had the same thought because she then grimaced and started talking to Mika.

Those pitch black eyes never left Akira's mind, though.

"Akira!" He heard her only seconds before he felt the tickling. "Stop! STOP! I give!"

"I need to properly introduce you to Saijo."

They spent days together; at first Akira was reluctant to have anything to do with Saijo, finally giving in when he was in a tight spot. Almost everyone was close to him, helping where he was not needed, and not expecting anything in turn. It was almost strange, Akira thought one day, their worlds became black and white and dull, but the man born of those colors would always come in and pull them out. Almost like the world they spiraled into would happen to be his and he was simply kicking them out.

Even the strongest could be brought down and the bigger they are the harder they fall. Akira fell, hard. He just woke up one day, refreshed, and fuzzy from his dreams, went to school, told everyone about them and finally fell. He just happened to be talking to Saijo when he stared into his eyes, everything black and white, like in a TV screen, and Saijo was there. He was far off when all of a sudden, he saw a flash of gold and felt happy again, albeit a bit ashamed at his depression but happy, too.

He was now happier than ever, and he remembered the confession of when Yayoi was suicidal, when Mika was rescued, while Rui shared secrets, and Ryo could share conversations.

Finally, in the early twenties of the month he transferred in, the entire town went on a rampage. He remembered the envy he felt when he thought of Saijo, because he was the one person he could count on.

He almost fainted, combination comprising of fear, worry, anger, confusion, and the shock from seeing Saijo. He was standing across from some strange man, and from his position on the left side of the silver-haired teen, he saw a flash of gold. It felt like the atmosphere had thickened, and if it hadn't been for Akira's brute strength, he would've fallen flat on the ground already.

He looked up, the man fallen already. One of the pipes by the statue had been broken, water spraying up. It quickly soaked the man, and when Saijo bent down to whisper something in the man's ear, he cocked his head, just a bit.

The plastered hair… The gold and black eyes… The halo of water…

It was Kei.

Akira chuckled and walked over to the drenched boy. He put Saijo in a headlock and laughed. "About time you showed yourself Kei." Saijo looked up, astonished. "You remembered?"

"Pfft… Duh?" Akira rolled his eyes, letting go of the boy. "Hey man, you were the one who made my life girly and sweet and smiley. You still have yet to try one of my cakes, though. Maybe later?"

"Sure." Saijo smiled a sincere, stress-free smile. "Maybe later."

The next day, he felt lonely for some reason, and even worse when Rui ran by him, and stole his moped. Suddenly, two weeks' worth of memories came flooding back. Akira ran after Rui, meeting up with Yayoi, Mika, Shinji, and Ryo were also at the bridge, they talked later about Saijo, Rui and Akira sharing a knowing glance.

Yayoi pursued her career as an artist, eventually submitting her best piece, "The Depths," her painting of black and gold and silver and white. Arthur Mays eventually retired and helped her with her paintings as a tutor.

Mika became the journalist she always wanted to be, doing news wherever there happened to be strange cases of murder, suicide, and diseases. She took over Razzly's spot at Seagull as a part-time job.

Akira took over Sweet Ring, still getting lectured from his father about his cakes, and serving his best just to see his customers smile, just like Kei said, just like Saijo told him to pursue.

Ryo was still the manager, and Hibiki later moved in next door to help manage the place, the part-timer Ai settling in with her fiancée and her pregnancy.

Shinji began working for a top-grade Bio lab in a small town. He started hacking for information and withdrew to start his own research. Later he opened his own lab, small, but almost world famous.

Rui still continued with her fortune-telling business as a part-time job, and after graduating high school she worked in the police force with her sister, Yui. Yui became the new police chief of Kisaragi Police Station.

Ten years after Saijo's disappearance, they were all at Sweet Ring, Rui suggesting it and Akira surprised they could actually get all of them together. "Ah, welcome!" Akira hollered from his spot in the corner with his friends. "I'll be right there!" He laughed at Mika's failed attempt of humor, and walked to the front.

"I heard we were supposed to meet here. Was I right?" a calm, soothing voice answered.

"Yeah, man, they'll be surprised when they see you." Akira laughed. "Hide behind me."

The other laughed softly before walking behind the always-bigger man. He could hear the idle chatter, just a faint humming sound. Akira looked over at him, grinning excitedly, "And, here he is!"

The group looked over and gasped. Atsuki Saijo smiled in content.

XTAIGAX: I'm sorry! I know I have a million things I should be working on, namely Opposing Forces and Shadows, since they're my more popular ones, but I had writers block. When I get that, I play video games, and I just finished up Lux-Pain. It took me forever caused I realized, oh hey, there's two endings and I got the crap one first. I'm a terrible gamer. If there's anything missing, tell me!


End file.
